Weapons Disposal

Goal - why is this important to us?

Dawn Farm cares about the safety of their clients and staff!

Ingredients - what do I need to get started?

• Another Dawn Farm employee
• A small cardboard box & package tape (if knife/glass)
• A phone
• A computer

Timeframe - about how long will this take?

Anywhere from 10-45 minutes

Contacts - who do I need to let know?

If knife or glass

Complete an Incident Report

If bullets or gun

Supervisor, Project Manager, & Non Emergency AAPD line

Complete an Incident Report

If something else?

Contact your Supervisor (and the Project Manager if needed) for further instruction

Complete an Incident Report

Steps - what do I do?

Staff should always notify clients of our no weapons or illicit substances allowed on site policy found in the client handbook upon admission.

Note: Typically knives with a blade length of 4 inches or smaller are not considered weapons.

Clients staying in residential programs may have pocket knives 4 inches or less that were not used for violent behavior or drug use stored and locked up for the duration of their stay. Always use caution when dealing with a sharp of any kind! ***Spera clients are not permitted to have pocket knifes on property- must be disposed of or picked up during intake process.

1. If a small knife or small amount of broken glass has been found, the item should be wrapped up in cardboard before putting into a garbage bag for disposal. Do not place in sharps container.

2. If a larger knife has been found, place inside a cardboard box for disposal.

3. If bullets or a gun are found, notify your supervisor and project manager. Then immediately contact the non emergency AAPD line for further instructions: 734.994-2911

A Few Tips:

When calling the non-emergency line, remember to use the same client confidentiality rules that normally apply when law enforcement visits our sites or asks questions.

Staff should NOT be disposing of illegal weapons, such as handguns or bullets. Staff should wait for further instruction from the AAPD.

If at any point you are unsure of how to answer the PD’s questions, please transfer them to your supervisor. If unavailable, contact the Clinical Director, President, or Project Manager.

Follow-up - what loose ends do I need to wrap up?

Please make sure you filled out an Incident Report and include information regarding your conversation with law enforcement and/or disposal of item.

CARF Standard 1.H.2